The people who dedicate their lives to the exploration of caves are a breed apart. Kyle Voyles, the St. George Utah cave expert, is one of those people and he leads an unconventional, fascinating life. I first met Kyle at the base of the Bloomington Cave entrance, his truck was easily spotted as its license plate read “CaveMan”.  As he got out of the truck, he seemed larger than life.  He had brown hair and eyes, with a hardy build standing at 6’1. There was a spark in his eyes like he was excited. His truck was fully equipped with helmets, headlamps, knee pads, and beer. After introductions, a group of ACE interns led by Kyle, headed to the cave entrance. Everyone had to record their names on the cave register providing proof of cave traffic. He made it apparent that the only way we were going to get out of the cave was to make the journey to the other end. Getting to know Kyle Voyles has enriched my life and greatly enhanced my understanding of caves.

Everyone had a nervous eagerness about the situation. Kyle teased and taunted with casual humor, feeding into the group anxiety. He informed everyone that the cave was a recreational cave to be enjoyed more for sport, than for scientific purposes. However, I have since learned from him that there are some endemic species found only in the Bloomington Caves and nowhere else in the world.  Kyle told me that some caves have such unique biology that they are labeled scientific caves to preserve the life forms within. The Bloomington Cave system is not sensitive enough to be considered scientific. The interns formed a single file line behind Kyle, traversing through passages and crawl spaces that opened up into rooms and chambers. I could feel my anxiety wrestling with my excitement. The underground world of caves felt so foreign, but to Kyle it was comfortable and familiar. Some places in the cave were very tight, but the gang managed to work through them. My heartbeat began to race approaching the last challenge. The shelf in the cave was slick and ended to a 150ft drop into the abyss of the cave. I was petrified to look down at the black void beneath me. He warned us some people have died in the cave and my imagination had me believing this was the spot. Once the gang emerged out of the belly of darkness with nothing but headlights to guide, I felt relief.  I will never forget my expression in the finishing group photo, my face said “Thank God!”

The caving trip was a great introduction to caving. The best part was the relationship I established with Kyle. He is a good friend. He has that sort of tenacity and staying power that create lifelong bonds. He tells me about his upcoming projects and aspirations for future endeavors. Occasionally, he includes me in these endeavors. He tells me about local adventures to try together. So many possibilities to cave within a reasonable radius of home. He has done his research and always knows of options for exploration. The enthusiasm never wavers and the spark in his eyes never ceases. I don’t think his eyes sparkle because of the empty cans of monster energy drinks he leaves lying around in his car. One evening he texts me and asks if I would like to go blow shit up with him. I thought oh god what is he on about this time. Intrigued, I replied yes, as anyone would without hesitation or questions.

The next morning, I piled into his car to find all the gear spread out across the seats and in the back. I noticed a bag full of explosives. We were on our way out of St. George headed to the Gorge on the way to Vegas. First, we stopped by and picked up a friend of Kyle’s named Squirrel. Of course, that was not his real name, but a nickname given to him because of his ability to scurry up mountainsides with ease. On this summer day, Kyle showed me the technical aspects of cave exploration. The equipment was not standard caving gear, but tools for discovery. Kyle said today we are looking for potential “leads” for caves. Leads are openings to caves that sometimes require “digging”, the term means to enlarge passages for entry. At first, we began “ridge walking” a term used to describe looking for caves. He pulled out a pair of binoculars and a spotting scope. Once we found the entrance, we brought all the equipment up to the opening and began mapping and surveying. A piece of equipment called a Disto was used for its capabilities to function as a Clinometer, tape measure, and laser range finder. We used this piece of equipment to record the dimensions of the cave. The objectives were to find where the cave goes, take a cursory glance at everything, find out if it will open up. Later the cave will be assessed by a set of criteria. The categories of these criteria are recreation, scientific research, geology, hydrology, biology, and Historical value. Primarily these categories determine the purpose of the cave. If it resembles a recreation cave, it could become the next Bloomington Cave. Oh, and of course we got to blow up some parts of the opening to make it large enough to get through, that was exciting.

Kyle remained engaged with the whole process of cave surveyance. The idea that the cave may never become much more than a dirt opening in the middle of the gorge wasn’t troublesome. Kyle finds contentment with the successes and failures of caves. Some caves may open up to an intricate system, some may not pan out. It is his inner drive, his conscious saying to him do what you love. He told me caving was his childhood dream, and he had a passion for it from a young age. Growing up in Northeast Texas, there were few opportunities for Kyle to get into caves, so at the age of fifteen, when he went on his first wild caving trip to Mammoth Cave, he said, “that was the spark.” He knew that was how he wanted to spend his life. He went on to college and got a degree in Engineering. He said the pay would have made the job worth it, but the dream was to get paid to cave. His persistence led him to pursue more education dedicated to the cave sciences and look for cave jobs around the world to gain experience. He said, “I could be a rich engineer or a poor, happy caver.” I found this to be so real, I mean how often do we hear people express the word passion, but never truly own up to it.

I went on to ask him about favorite projects that he has worked on. The experience of a lifetime was Kyles trip to Southern Mexico to study extremophiles for the NASA Mars Mission. The research from the caves remains in use. The wild adventure led him to guided tours in the jungle and then behind bars in a Mexican jail. He said it was an adventure he will never forget. I sat across from him on his pleather couch in his modest St. George apartment, with my eyes wide wondering what in the hell? He then explained to me that he was with another cave expert following a local tour guide to check out caves in the area when they ended up right in the middle of a civil war. Within a matter of minutes crossing the territory, Kyle and his colleague were swarmed by 100 Mexican Federales with guns pointed at them. They were taken hostage and held in prison. As Kyle was telling me the extended version of his story, I thought somehow this doesn’t surprise me. Kyle gets himself into some very odd and potentially dangerous circumstances.

I asked him about the risks associated with caving; he just laughed and said: “actually we are not supposed to use that word.”  Kyle had given a presentation on the “risks” associated with caving, he said that the use of  the word risk deters people. I said “well how would you classify going to a Mexican prison”? He laughed and said “I guess you could classify that as a risk.” He then told me of a time when he was caving and he came across a rattlesnake coiled just above his next hand placement. He said it was a close call. It could have been fatal;  it isn’t exactly a quick ride to the hospital from the depths of a cave. He also told me about a time when he fell on a cactus while caving and had to have a female colleague remove all the spines from his lower back and butt. He said it was humiliating, and not to mention painful, and let’s not forget all the poisonous spiders crawling in the nooks and crannies of the caves. He assures me it’s part of the experience and its only on rare occasions that anything dangerous comes to fruition. As I see it there are plenty of risks associated with caving, but I will leave it to the expert to have the last say.

I reflect on the friendship gained from the outdoor excursions. How discovering new things about a person can enhance the relationship. It’s a lot like caving, in the sense, that a small encounter can open up to a world of possibility. I would’ve never known Kyle Voyles without the Bloomington Caves trip. For me, that was the spark. Since then I have marveled at his depth of knowledge and appreciation for caves. Despite the mortal challenges’ humans face, Kyle remains engrossed in the life he built for himself. Kyle has been plagued with several injuries in the time I’ve known him, yet he keeps his dream alive and breathing. He reminds me what it means to be a good friend.  Kyle showed me that curiosity was not meant to be experienced only above ground.

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